Our Castle
by AttackoftheFandoms247
Summary: The war with the Titans has just ended, but Thalia can't feel happy, because all she can think of is... him. Thaluke fanfic.


**Here's my first attempt at a Thaluke fanfiction. Hope you enjoy! Leave comments, I appreciate it a lot :). I do not own Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, or Grover.**

The battle was over.

Thalia knew she should be glad, that she should at least feel some sort of joy because of the end of a terrible time. But all she could think about was him.

He would never again look at her with his bright blue eyes full of laughter. He would never fight by her side, or touch her cheek and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He was gone.

Once the pillars had been removed from her legs and she had been tended to by the nymphs, Thalia quietly excused herself. She decided there was only one place she could go, to truly mourn him.

Seeing her father in the courtyard before her, Thalia ran up to him. "Hi, Dad."

"Thalia."

Taking his silence as a cue to speak, Thalia began. "Lord Zeus, I'm sorry to trouble you in this time, but I was wondering if you would grant me a favor."

Zeus seemed distracted. He granted her wish as soon as she asked, and she had been whisked away before she knew she was moving.

She opened her eyes, stunned by how quickly she had moved, and she was there. It was a small stone hut, undoubtedly abandoned years before she had been born. But for Thalia, it held special meaning.

Entering through the crumbling doorway, she found exactly what she had expected: one room, nothing but a stone floor, a wooden table, and a cracked and sagging ceiling. Dropping her bow and quiver, Thalia sat down, leaning her back against the wall, and let herself be swallowed by memory, the last wonderful memories of her lost love, Luke Castellan.

_Running._

_Thalia's legs were aching and tired, but she knew she must keep running. She couldn't stop. And as long as he kept up, running next to her, she could make it._

"_There!" Luke shouted. "Get in there!"_

_He was pointing with his sword at a crumbling stone shack under huge willow trees in the darkening forest. Thalia wanted to fight off the hellhounds that were chasing her, but she trusted Luke. She would do as he said._

_She ducked into the building and turned around, tapping her bracelet to make Aegis spiral to life. She saw Luke wince before he turned around to face the oncoming foes. _

_There were two of them, the biggest hellhounds she had ever seen in her short, violent existence. Thalia almost craved the challenge, and wished Luke would let her do more. But he had insisted she needed her rest as much as Annabeth did._

_He slashed as the first hound jumped at him, making it dance backwards. Rolling the other way, he managed to cut the other in the paw. It howled in pain, bleeding shadows. While it distracted its brother with its cries, he managed to come around behind and stab both._

_Thalia looked at him with admiration. The intensity of his face when he fought, the way his blue eyes flashed, the occasional fierce grin that occasionally overcame his face-these were all things she had come to know and be familiar with. _

_She walked over to him, smiling slightly. "Good job."_

_Luke smirked at her. "You think so?"_

"_I could have done better."_

"_Sure, sure," he sighed, walking over and hanging his arm over her shoulders. "Now let's eat. I prepared quite the feast."_

_They sat next to each other on the floor of the stone hut, and he opened the backpack that never seemed to get full or heavy but always carried what they needed. He pulled out two plates, two forks, turkey sandwiches, a bottle of Pepsi, a small container of blueberries, and best of all-_

"_Brownies!" Thalia exclaimed, reached for the plastic-wrapped plate. "How on earth did you get these?"_

_Luke grinned in that impish way of his. "Nicked it all from the kitchen at the hotel we left Annabeth at. Grover was in there too, I think he was trying to sweet talk the cooks into feeding him."_

"_I'm glad we left her there with him. Poor kid needs a break," she said, biting her sandwich._

_They talked while they ate, enjoying the privacy and lack of vicious monsters. At one point, Thalia made a childish comment. "Sometimes," she said. "Sometimes I just wish I lived in a castle with you and Annabeth, where nothing could ever come and hurt us, and we could be happy."_

_Luke put his arm around her again and gave her a little hug. "That'd be great," he said. "But we can't have that yet. So just imagine this is our castle. Right here, for now, we're somewhat safe and happy. This place, right here, will be our castle. Okay?"_

_Thalia smiled, and Luke smiled back. Then, completely without warning, he kissed her. Just a peck on the lips. _

_Their very first kiss._

Thalia opened her eyes. Then pinched herself, because she must still be in memory. What she saw was impossible.

It was him.

Looking at her with an expression of incomprehensible sadness, but also, maybe, a bit of hope.

He was a ghost.

"Thalia," he said, in that achingly familiar voice.

Thalia just stared. "You're dead," she said flatly.

"Yes."

"What were you thinking, Luke?"

"You know. You've thought it yourself. I just let myself be consumed. And I will never be able to express how sorry I am."

This was what got her. Hearing his voice apologizing, perhaps for the last time ever. And knowing that he was dead, but she still loved him.

Thalia, the unshakable, fierce Huntress, started to cry.

Luke couldn't touch her, she knew. He was a ghost, and probably had just been pulled here before going to Hades for judgment. But she could see him one last time, and she was going to tell him.

"I never stopped loving you."

"I knew. And even though I was beyond reason once… He… took me, I know I couldn't have hurt you."

His face changed, taking on a look of pain and fear. "Thalia."

She stood. "Luke. What is it?"

"I have to go. I can't stay here any longer. They're taking me. But remember… I love you. This will always be our castle."

"I know," she whispered, and watched as his image swirled into white fog and disappeared. The last thing she heard was his voice, saying, "_See you in Elysium._"

She sat down again, hard, sobbing beyond the point where she could produce no more tears. Why were the Fates so cruel to her?

Finally she calmed down, and let herself again be swallowed by memories. She was comforted, a small bit, because she knew he would wait for her in Elysium. And once she got there, they would never again be separated. They could finally have their dream castle.


End file.
